New Beginnings: The Early Years
by Goldmoonrider
Summary: Mothwing and Hawkfrost aren't the only kits of Sasha and Tigerstar; Sasha kept two other kits hidden from him for good reasons. These two are the sisters Snow and Bark. Follow them as they journey through their younger years and find what it means to be a warrior (prequel to the New Beginnings Trilogy)
1. Prologue and Allegiances

Prologue:

As the morning sun rose slowly in the sky, Snow yawned and stretched. Beside her, she could feel the soft pulse of her sister Bark as she dozed silently. Behind them, their mother purred softly in her sleep. Snow sighed and leapt out of the nest and outside of the den.

Once outside, a cool breeze brushed through Snow's pelt, making her shiver with delight. The sun was now high in the sky, shinning brightly down upon her and making her pelt shine. The grass was cold on her paws, but she ignored it and padded over to a pile of leaves.

* * *

Back inside the den, Bark stretched as she woke up, hoping to kick Snow awake but instead finding air. She sat up and looked at her sister's spot in the nest, wondering where Snow was. The Dark brown tabby sniffed the air and followed Snow's scent outside.

Once out, Bark spotted her sister and crouched low, leaping on her surprised sister and the two wrestling in the pile of leaves, paws in each other's faces.

* * *

Sasha yawned and purred at the sound of her wrestling kits. They were growing up so fast. Now at 4 moons of age, Snow and Bark were large and growing bigger every day. Snow was intelligent and leader-like to her smaller sister, but even though Bark was small for her size, she was stronger than Snow and quicker. She was also brave and very quiet.

Sasha sighed and padded out of the den to see Bark pinning Snow to the ground. It reminded Sasha of their father... at the though, Ssha felt herself trembling as if a storm had just struck lightning at her. Bark was so much like her father, which worried Sasha. The thought of Bark being like that foul creature was unbearable, for her father... was Tigerstar.

**Allegiances:**

**ShadowClan:**

**Leader: Tigerstar- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes**

**Deputy: Blackfoot- pure white tom with huge black paws**

**Medicine cat: Runningnose- gray tom with white underbelly and amber eyes**

**ThunderClan:**

**Leader: Firestar- ginger tom with fiery pelt and green eyes**

**Deputy: Graystripe- gray tom with long fur and amber eyes**

**Medicine cat: Cinderpelt- gray she-cat with blue eyes and a bad leg**

**WindClan:**

**Leader: Tallstar- black-and-white tom with long tail**

**Deputy: Deadfoot- molted brown tom with a deformed forepaw**

**Medicine cat: Barkface- molted brown tom with green eyes**

**RiverClan:**

**Leader: Leopardstar- unusually spotted golden she-cat**

**Deputy: Stonefur- dark gray tom with amber eyes**

**Medicine cat: Mudfur- brown tom with green eyes**

**So, I hope you like the beginning. If not, that's ok. It's not the whole book. The rest of the book is going to be much better, I promise. Anyway, next chapter will hopefully be up by next week. Thx!**

**-Goldmoonrider **


	2. Chapter 1

"Take that!" Bark slammed her paw onto Snow's ear and yowled triumphantly as her sister squeaked and raced behind a bush. The sun was not yet high in the sky but the heat had already grown since dawn. Bark and Snow had been playing like this since Sasha had told them of the Clans, which she herself knew was a mistake.

Bark already had the looks and taste in battle of her father, but Sasha was now scared the young she-cat would want to join the Clans. If she did, Tigerstar might find out about who she really was and-

"Aha!" Snow shrieked through Sasha's thoughts and she looked over to see the white cat pinning her sister to the ground. "Now who's leader?" She growled playfully.

Bark grunted as Snow pushed down on her. "Get off me, you big lump!" She growled, pushing Snow off her and sitting up to clean the dirt out of her fur.

Snow crouched low, tail waving like a white flag above her head. "Scared of a little dirt?" She taunted.

Her sister stopped grooming her paw and growled, crouched low, and with a loud yowl, raced at Snow, who dodged the brown kit and pounced on her.

Sasha sighed as she watched. "Alright, come on, time to eat." She called her kits in and padded deep into the den to get a fat mouse. When she came out she found Snow and Bark in a ball of fur and kit fluff.

"Stop this at once!" Sasha growled and pulled Bark off Snow and placed her next to their dinner. "Behave yourselves." She meowed sternly and let them eat.

"Well," Bark mewed with a full mouth. "You said warriors always fight battles." She meowed as she swallowed her piece of mouse, then plunged back in for more.

Sasha narrowed her eyes. "Only when the battle is worth fighting." She growled and bit into her own sparrow.

Bark mewed nothing but kept eating, her little tail high in the air. Snow purred as she finished her share of the mouse and began grooming her snowy white fur. Bark did the same once she had finished, yawning as she did.

Sasha purred and padded to her nest to catch a wink of sleep, her kits following her tiredly. As she curled up, Snow leapt up next to her and curled up tightly, yawning. Before she could fall asleep, Bark growled and pushed her sister away, curling up in the same spot and letting out a tired sigh. Snow shook her head down below and jumped up, curling next to her sister and mother. Sasha watched with purrs and curled up tightly, letting out a deep breath and falling asleep...

* * *

Sasha slowly opened her eyes, looking around to see darkness around her. As she looked out of the den, she gasped at the burning flames rising above the den. Bark and Snow yawned looked up, squeaking at the sight and jumping behind their mother with terror.

"Get out through the emergency exit, now!" Sasha yowled at her kits, but they stared at her with terror glazed eyes, not moving.

Sasha growled and picked up Snow, tossing her out the small hole at the other end of the den. "Go!" She growled to Bark, who flattened her ears.

"But mama!" The kit protested, but Sasha picked her up and tossed her out the hole and pushed a ball of moss in front of it before Bark could push her way through. Sasha stared through the hole with saddened eyes, then faced the fire, breathing deep as she knew it was her time to go...

* * *

Bark squeaked as her mother pushed the moss in front of her, yowling in horror. "Mama!" She meowed as loud as possible, but all she could see were her mother's pain filled eyes.

Snow squeaked from beside her sister. "No, mama, please!" Still, no reply. Snow growled and scratched at the moss, but it was no use.

"Let me try." Bark pushed Snow aside and pushed herself against the moss ball with all her strength, but still no result. As they pushed, Bark could hear the raging flames engulf the den, roaring at the kits as it moved towards them. Snow squeaked loudly as a flame lit on her tail tip, but Bark pounced on it, putting the flame out.

"Let's get out of here!" She yowled to her white sister and the two kits dashed past more flames and smoke towards an opening in the fire. Above them, Bark's ears pricked as a branch cracked above the opening, and just as they were about to exit, the branch she had heard fell in front of them, blocking their only way of escape.

Snow whimpered from beside Bark, but the brown tabby knew there had to be another way to get out. There just had to be. Her large eyes searched among the flames, hoping to spot a sliver of green, but none was to be found. Tears fell from her eyes as Bark realized there would be no escape, and she curled up tightly around Snow, scared and hopeless. She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes, letting a scared sleep engulf her...

* * *

"Where did they come from, Onepaw?"

"I found them right beside the forest fire on the border."

"Well, good work. Lets see if they'll wake up soon."

Bark slowly opened her eyes as soon as the voices had disappeared and saw a huge black-and-white kit staring at her. The young brown tabby kit yelped and jumped back, landing on her sister's burnt tail. Snow growled and slowly opened her eyes as well to see the face, yowling in terror and jumping on Bark for protection. Bark rolled her eyes and looked back at the cat in front of them.

The black-and-white kit let out a mrrow of laughter and smiled at them, looking behind Bark and flicking his tail. "It's alright, I won't hurt you. Unless, of course, you're a kittypet." He crouched down and waved his white tail behind him playfully.

Bark cocked her head to the side. "Kittypet?"

"Yeah, the cats who live with twolegs." The kit mewed. "Now, my name is Blackkit."

Snow jumped out from behind Bark, tail high in the sky. "I'm Snow, and this is my sis Bark."

Blackkit dipped his head. "Nice names." He purred and looked behind him. "Why don't I show you around the camp?" He suggested, looking back at Snow with large, green eyes.

Snow purred and jumped up beside him. "I'd love that." She mewed happily.

Bark huffed and rolled her eyes, padding up beside them. "Me too." She meowed.

Blackkit purred happily and led the way out into the sunshine, tail flickering with joy. Outside, Bark gasped as she saw cats all around, some staring at her and others walking out of the camp. A group of cats outside one of the dens turned their heads and looked at the kits happily, padding over to see. Soon cats were crowded around to take a look at Bark and Snow. They purred happily and murmured softly, admiring the kits. Snow lowered her tail, neck fur rising with terror, but as Blackkit curled his tail around hers, she seemed to relax and enjoy the attention. Bark growled softly but mewed nothing as a huge black-and-white cat padded up in front of them, smiling.

"Welcome." He let out a rough, gravely purr of delight. "My name is Tallstar. Welcome to WindClan."

**And that concludes our first chapter! If you cant already tell, I've decided to bring Blackstripes into the story, since at some point in time he and Snow have to meet before becoming warriors. If you see any problems such as spelling errors, any errors in the writing or even in the story, please either PM me or review it and I will be happy to fix it. Thanks!**

**-Goldmoonrider**


	3. Chapter 2

Bark layed in one of the nests in the nursery, her amber eyes flickering in the light of the sunlight outside. In the camp clearing, Snow was playing with Blackkit like usual, fighting like Bark and Snow had done the day before... The fire. At the thought of the fire made Bark shiver, and images began running through her head.

In her mind she saw her mother's terrorized eyes and could hear the screams... The young kit shook her head and swiped her paw over her ear. Outside, she heard the laughter of Snow as she bounced on Blackkit.

"Bark?" Above Bark, she looked up and saw Sorrelflight standing above her. "Are you ok?"

Sorrelflight was the she-cat who had offered to take care of Snow and Bark. She was a sweet cat, but could be strict at times. She also had three other kits she was caring for; Blackkit, Mudkit, and Jaykit.

Bark yawned lightly and stood up to stretch. "Fine. Just a bit tired." She mewed and cleaned her paw.

The queen narrowed her eyes, but sighed and locked her shoulder quickly. "Well, the ceremony for initiating you and Snow into the Clan is in a few minutes, so make sure you're ready." She padded outside and left Bark alone.

The kit thought about what it would be like to grow up in one of the famous Clans her mother had spoken of. Sasha had told them that Clan cats were ruthless and horrible, and could never be trusted. But it had turned out that she was wrong: Clan cats were loving and kind, and so far they had been quite helpful. Bark sneezed a few times in a row and padded outside.

"Bark, where have you been?" Snow padded up to her sister and playfully swatted Bark's nose with her paw.

Bark growled and tried to grab Snow's ear with her teeth, but she fell on her face when Snow turned to see Blackkit. The kit let out a strong huff and stood up, quickly cleaning her chest. She looked up and saw Tallstar, as he called himself, jump into a large stump in the center of the camp.

"Let all cats fast enough to catch their own prey meet below Tall Stump for a meeting of the Clan!" His voice bellowed through the open air and cats began to come out of each den.

"Come on, Snow!" Blackkit and Snow raced off to where the other cats were gathering, leaving Bark behind. The brown tabby watched them go, her heart breaking into tiny pieces. She slowly padded off and sat up towards the front, keeping her distant from her white tabby sister.

Up on the stump, Tallstar sat down and gazed upon his Clan. "Cats of WindClan, you all know that just three sunrises ago Onepaw found two kits, Snow and Bark. Today, I would like to make them apart of this Clan. Snow and Bark, please step forward."

Bark stood up and took a small step towards the tall stump, Snow beside her. The two looked up at the leader, who's amber eyes glowed as they gazed down at the young cats. "Snow and Bark, having just joined the Clan and with you being so young, I would normally just give you kit names. But, you are both six moons, so I have decided to make you into apprentice's, alongside Blackkit, Mudkit and Jaykit." As he spoke their names, the three kits hurried up next to Snow and Bark, Blackkit squeezing in next to Snow.

"Alright, now, Snow, from this day forth until you earn your warrior name you will be known as Snowpaw. Your mentor shall be Fawntail. Go and greet her, then be seated beside her." Snowpaw leapt off the stump and padded up to a light brown she-cat and the two quickly returned to a seat in the crowd.

Tallstar turned his gaze to Bark. "Bark, from this day forth until you earn your warrior name you will be known as Barkpaw. Your mentor will be Tornear. Please go up and greet him like your sister did." Barkpaw obeyed happily, leaping off the stump and touching noses with a tabby tom. She then followed him and sat down near the front of the group.

She flicked her tail and gave her chest a strong lick to make sure her fur was still laying flat and watched and the other three kits came forward. In the sunlight their fur shone and their eyes sparkled excitedly. Mudkit looked down at the crowd and seemed to smile at Barkpaw, who smiled back, but heard a sigh of happiness behind her and realized the kit was smiling to his parents. Barkpaw let out a long breath and gazed back up as Tallstar shifted his weight.

"Mudkit, Blackkit and Jaykit, you will be known as, until you earn your warrior name, Mudpaw, Blackpaw and Jaypaw. Webfoot, you have been waiting for an apprentice for a while, here is your chance to train Mudpaw. I hope you will pass on your experience to him." A tall dark gray tabby came up to greet the brown tabby and the two sat down again as Tallstar announced Blackpaw and Jaypaw's mentor's. "Hollowclaw and Yellowtail, you have proven to be great warriors. I shall give you Blackpaw and Jaypaw to train. Teach them well."

Barkpaw strained to see the familiar warriors come up and greet the new apprentices, wondering why Tallstar had chosen those two warriors. Hollowclaw and Yellowtail were sharp, angry cats that didn't like to help others with their problems. Blackpaw and Jaypaw were in for a hard apprenticeship.

* * *

"Snowpaw, why don't you try the move?" Snowpaw looked up from where she was making a picture in the sand. Webfoot had been showing the five new apprentice's some basic battle moves every since the ceremony, and to Snowpaw, the moves were kit basic.

While Barkpaw and Snowpaw had still been kits, Sasha had taught them some defence moves that were definitely harder than these. Snowpaw had watched the demonstrations for the first few minutes, then let her mind wander as she became bored.

Webfoot stood in the center of the grassy training area. "Well?" He asked impatiently.

Snowpaw stood up and padded over so she was looking right up at him. She hadn't seen many of the moves, so she decided on using her own techniques. The warrior took a few steps back so they were a fox length apart. Snowpaw then jumped forward and slid beneath him, pawing at his belly as she went. She jumped up again on the other side and prepared for an attack, but the larger cat only faced her.

"That wasn't the move I was referring to, but it's still a good one. Here, let me show you what I meant." Snowpaw stepped back as Webfoot stepped back, eyes clear and emotionless. He then ducked and rolled over before jumping to his paws again and leaping forward. He landed on his paws and looked up at the others. "Now, who'd like to show me what I just did?"

"I would." Snowpaw turned as Barkpaw padded forward with hard eyes. She padded up and stood just a few feet from Webfoot.

The older cat nodded and swiped his paw at her. Barkpaw ducked beneath his paw and rolled over, jumping up again and leaping into his side. The warrior let out a sharp gasp and was forced into the bush behind him. When he stood up, he was letting out long, heaving breaths. Fawntail raced up to him, hoping to help, but he sent her away with a flick of his tail.

"I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" Barkpaw asked.

Webfoot narrowed his eyes for a moment at her, then shook his head, eyes returning to normal. "No. I'm just a little tired from guard duty last night. Why don't you guys go get something to eat from the fresh-kill pile, alright?"

The rest of the apprentices broke out into talk, but Snowpaw noticed Barkpaw was staying quiet as she walked alongside her mentor. After a few moments, the brown apprentice looked up at Fawntail.

"What did I do?" She asked in a hushed voice.

Fawntail looked down at her after a few moments. "He was just tired, that's all." She meowed and looked up again.

Snowpaw thought about the battle again. She agreed with her sister. What did happen?


	4. Chapter 3

"You ready for your tour of the territory?" Fawntail asked Snowpaw as the apprentice returned from grabbing a quick bite to eat. "Sorry we didn't do so earlier, Webfoot wasn't wanting to let you all go until you learned a thing or two on fighting. There's been a fox out there for a few moons and the warriors haven't been able to catch it yet, so we'll have to keep an eye out for it."

Barkpaw's insides jumped with enthusiasm as she was led out of camp by her mentor. The older she-cat padded between the tall grass and bushes and flicked her tail for Barkpaw to listen. The two stopped and in their way and listened to the air around them.

In the air Barkpaw could hear a long, rushing sound. For a few moments, her mind switched back to the night when her mother had been caught in the fire. The flames had sounded almost exactly alike to the sound she was hearing now. But her thoughts were taken back as she felt Fawntail's tail-tip on her shoulder.

"Come along, I'll show you what that sound is." The two padded through the grass and came to the edge of a sheer cliff. Down below, Barkpaw's eyes flickered upon the sight of a high level of water gushing out of a river and into a ravine. She stepped back, frightened by the sight and loud sounds.

Beside her, her new mentor let out a _mrroww _of amusement and flicked her ear. "That's the waterfall. Don't fall in, or you'll be heading to StarClan sooner than you wish."

Giving one last look to the water, the she-cat scampered off and caught up with her mentor.

Above them, the sky was covered in clouds and the sun was hiding beside the horizon. Barkpaw suddenly realized a peculiar scent wafting in the air as Fawntail led her deeper into the grass. It wasn't too strong, but strong enough for her to tell it was mouse. Fawntail noticed her apprentice and flicked her tail.

"Not until you learn to hunt. Come, we're almost to Outlook rock." The mentor led the way uphill to a tall rock sitting on a ledge. Barkpaw watched as Fawntail leaped on it, then proceeded to taste the air with her tongue. The apprentice jumped up beside her mentor and did the same, not know what they were doing but hoping she was making a good impression on the warrior.

"Let the air be strong as you smell it," Fawntail mewed loudly, though it sounded as a whisper above the cold winds. "Parting your jaws will help you take in the air better and be able to distinguish the smells."

Barkpaw nodded in understanding. "When can we start training?" She asked, curious about learning battle moves.

"Not until tomorrow. The territory has enough in itself for you to learn."

The apprentice lowered her tail to the ground in disappointment, but raised it as the brown she-cat jumped off the rock and flicked her tail for the darker she-cat to follow. The two padded down the slope and ducked their heads to enter camp.

The sky had darkened the clearing, but Barkpaw could make out a couple warriors sitting together outside the den, their heads bent low in deep discussion. Beside the fresh-kill pile, she could make out her sister, Blackpaw, Mudpaw and Jaypaw. The three were sharing a rather large rabbit, and Blackpaw looked up as Barkpaw padded towards them.

"Hi Barkpaw," The striped tom mewed, and Snowpaw looked up at her sister.

The dark brown apprentice nodded. "Who caught it?"

"I did!" Snowpaw's voice bounced with excitement, and stood to her sister's level. "Want to see what Tornear taught me today?"

Barkpaw looked at her sister, whose tail was lying silently on Blackpaw's shoulder, and nodded curiously. "Sure," But her voice betrayed the jealousy hidden in her mind.

Her sister didn't notice, but stood a little farther from the apprentices and crouched low. Using, her hind paws, she forced herself up into the air and flipped back, swiping a leaf above her with her paws. She landed, not with perfect precision though, slipping in the dirt and landing on her jaw.

Mudpaw gave a smirk and flicked in a mocking amusement. "You really do act like a kittypet."

Snowpaw's eyes flicked up in fury. "What?"

The dark brown tom shrugged. "Just saying. Your mother was a kittypet, and you have no idea who your father is, so we can only assume he was a kittypet too."

Her sister stood up, tail flicking furiously. "How dare you! Our father is-"

"Not important, Barkpaw," The voice of Mudpaw's mentor rose up behind her and the apprentices looked to see Webfoot and the other mentors padding up. "Mudpaw, I'm ashamed of you, being so rude to a fellow Clanmate. Barkpaw and Snowpaw are WindClan now, and should be treated as such."

Beside him, Yellowtail and Hollowclaw padded forward and flicked for their apprentices to follow them. Blackpaw glanced back at Snowpaw, but the white she-cat just shrugged, and the tabby let out a sigh and padded after Hollowclaw. Barkpaw watched her sister's eyes follow the tom and let out a long sigh of annoyance.

Sunrises passed, and Barkpaw and Snowpaw had both been initiated into the Clan well. The older cats respected them as fellow Clanmates, and them to the rest of the Clan as well. Mudpaw and Jaypaw had dropped the subject of Snowpaw and Barkpaw's lineage and kept to themselves mostly, except during training times. Blackpaw and Snowpaw grew closer together, but kept themselves apart whenever they needed to work.

Most mornings, Tornear had Snowpaw and him assigned to the Dawn Patrol for 'Extra Practice', as Tornear would tell her. Snowpaw realized as the sunrises passed that the Full Moon would soon be up and she and her sister would be going to their first Gathering.

The thought bounced in her head as Snowpaw padded alongside her mentor and the Dawn Patrol on the morning of the Gathering. Her head pounded with her heartbeat as she thought about it, and her tail flicked with complete energy.

"... Go ahead and catch it." The words of her mentor began to fade back in, and Snowpaw realized he had just asked her to do something. The older tom cocked his head. "You alright Snowpaw?"

The white tabby looked up at her mentor and nodded, still dazed. "Yeah, just tired."

Tornear gave a slight grin. "I know. I remember my first Gathering and how excited I was. I couldn't sleep for an entire quarter moon before."

"But… what if I see my father there?" She mewed softly.

Tornear gave a puzzled look and stopped in front of her, flicking his tail for the patrol to go ahead. "What do you mean? Your father's a kittypet."

Snowpaw searched her mentor's eyes. "But Sasha always told me his name was Tigerstar, leader of ShadowClan."

The mentor was taken aback at this from what Snowpaw could tell, and she cocked her head. "Is that bad?"

"N-no, I just," He glanced around; the rest of the patrol had headed off on their own. "Let's go back to camp."

"But what about the patrol?" Snowpaw asked, confused. "I thought we were going to finish the patrol."

Her mentor glanced down at her as he led her down the path back to camp. "No, I have to tell Tallstar something."

They entered camp again, which was now almost completely empty. Most cats were still asleep, and some were out on early hunting patrols. By the leader's den, Tallstar was basking in the sun, speaking softly with his deputy, Deadfoot. Tornear flicked his ear for Snowpaw to go find her sister, and quickly padded to his leader. The three looked back at Snowpaw, whose pelt was itching with worry, but then Tallstar nodded and they each retreated back into the leader's den.

"Snowpaw?" The white she-cat entered the apprentice's den, awakening her sister. "Why are you back so early?"

"Tornear wanted to speak with Tallstar about something." She mewed softly, curling up into her nest beside her sister. "But it's weird though, because I mentioned Tigerstar to him and he went berserk."

Barkpaw cocked her head. "Why would he do that? I thought Tigerstar was a good cat. That's what Mama always told us."

Snowpaw nodded, but just lowered her head and let out a long, thoughtful sigh.


End file.
